ST. THOMAS — A resident of St. John is currently before the V.I. Superior Court, charged with stealing an acquaintance’s vehicle with her dog still inside it and going on a joyride which included a barge trip to St. Thomas.

According to court documents, last Thursday afternoon police were dispatched to The Marketplace on St. John to investigate reports of a stolen vehicle. They spoke to the woman who had rented the gray Kia Soul and parked it in the establishment’s upper parking lot. Apart from the driver, the vehicle was carrying the woman’s dog and Amie Vieira, who the driver said she had met a year earlier. The woman told police that she left Vieira and the dog in the Kia as she walked to a nearby store to pick up some food.‌

The woman said that the vehicle was gone when she returned, and told police Vieira did not have permission to drive it.

The following day, officers spotted the gray Kia near the bottom of Black Point Hill on St. Thomas, with two human occupants inside. One of them was Vieira. The car also contained a small terrier - the woman’s dog. Although Vieira refused to provide a statement, the man that was with her told police that she had contacted him on Thursday afternoon at the Magic Carwash in Estate Contant on St. Thomas. She reportedly told him that she and her friend had rented the vehicle, and showed him the dog. They then went for a ride around town, ending up near the beach. The man said the rental got a flat tire, but that he and Vieira went down to the beach for a swim, and later spent the night in the crossover SUV. The man further stated that he did not know that the Kia was stolen, and told police he had never met Vieira’s friend.‌

Investigations revealed that Vieira had taken the vehicle from the Marketplace St. John parking lot, with the woman’s dog still inside, and drove it onto a barge which transported them to St. Thomas.

Vieira was arrested and charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle, buying, receiving or possessing stolen property, and grand larceny.‌

She was remanded into custody to await her advice of rights hearing scheduled for Monday, however as of press time there have been no updates posted to the public court docket to indicate whether Magistrate Simone VanHolten-Turnbull heard Ms. Viera’s matter.